あなた

あ

な

た

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Polite second-person pronoun, traditionally used toward equals or those of lower status. In modern Japanese it can sound distant or even rude when used with someone whose name you know; often replaced by the person's name with an honorific.

あなたはどこにお住すまいですか。
Where do you live?
田た中なかさん、あなたの意い見けんを聞きかせてください。
Tanaka-san, please tell me your opinion.

pronoun

dear; honey

familiar languageusually written using kana alone

Only when written 貴方 / 貴男

Familiar term used by a wife to address her husband; carries an intimate, affectionate tone. In modern usage, it is somewhat old-fashioned and may be replaced by the husband's name or other terms of endearment.

貴方あなた、今日きょうは早はやく帰かえってくる？
Honey, are you coming home early today?

See all 430 example sentences ›

Kanji

貴precious, value, prize
方direction, person, alternative
女woman, female
男male

Related words· 9

君きみN4sense 1
あなた is a neutral-to-polite way to say 'you', while 君 is more casual and often used toward close friends, juniors, or romantic partners.
お前まえN3sense 1
あなた keeps a polite or neutral distance, whereas お前 is blunt and informal, used among close male friends or in confrontations.
貴き様さま sense 1
あなた is polite or neutral, while 貴様 is an aggressive, insulting way to say 'you' used to provoke or belittle someone.
ユー
あなた is the standard, neutral Japanese second-person pronoun, while ユー is a playful or affected katakana borrowing of English 'you'.

Show 5 more

あなた方がた
あなた is the singular form of 'you', while あなた方 explicitly marks the plural, addressing more than one person.
お宅たくN4
あなた is a more common and neutral second-person pronoun, while お宅 is more polite and distant, often used in formal or business contexts.
貴き女じょ
あなた is the ordinary, gender-neutral word for 'you' used in everyday speech, while 貴女 is a formal, old-fashioned honorific used mainly in letters to address a woman.
其し
其 was an archaic second-person pronoun 'you' in classical texts, replaced in modern speech by あなた.
ダーリン
あなた is the traditional Japanese way a wife addresses her husband, while ダーリン is a playful, Western-influenced alternative with the same affectionate function.

Politeness

君きみplainN4
あなた is the polite, gender-neutral way to say 'you', while 君 is familiar and often used by men toward equals or juniors.
お前まえplainN3
あなた is the neutral, polite word for 'you', while お前 is the same idea expressed at a very casual or even rude level.
あんたplain
あなた is the neutral, polite form of 'you', while あんた is its casual, blunt contraction used with close friends or in rough speech.
手て前まえplainN2
手前 used for 'you' is a rough, old-fashioned term addressed downward to an inferior, while 貴方 is the standard polite word for 'you'.
てめえplainN2
あなた is the neutral, polite way to say 'you', while てめえ is a crude, insulting version of the same pronoun.

Don't confuse with

あちらN5sense 1
貴方（あなた）means 'you', while 彼方（あなた）is an unrelated word meaning 'yonder' or 'the far side'.
彼か方なたN1
貴方 (あなた) means 'you', while 彼方 read as あなた is an archaic/literary word for 'that place, yonder' — same sound, unrelated meaning.

Written forms

あなたUsage93%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
The standard modern spelling; usually written in kana.
貴方あなたUsage6%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji spelling, now rare and literary; can feel old-fashioned or stiff.
アナタUsage1%
貴女あなたUsage1%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Explicitly feminine kanji spelling; very rare in modern writing.
貴男あなた
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Explicitly masculine kanji spelling; very rare in modern writing.

Etymology

Originally a demonstrative meaning 'that direction' or 'over there', which developed into a respectful second-person pronoun. The kanji 貴方 literally mean 'noble direction'.